1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an oral composition having the improved effect of physico-chemically removing accumulations on dental surfaces or between teeth.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, the removal of accumulations such as stain, dental plaque, food debris and tobacco tar adhered to or deposited on dental surfaces or between teeth is carried out predominantly by the mechanical action of an abrasive comprised in an oral composition such as a toothpaste. As the abrasive, one for which surface abrasion is low is selected, for example an inorganic powder of calcium hydrogenphosphate dihydrate, calcium carbonate, silicic anhydride or the like is used.
However, there has been a problem that when trying to remove accumulations on dental surfaces with an oral composition comprising such an abrasive, it is not possible to completely prevent abrasion of soft parts of the teeth such as the root surface.
Consequently, the following have been proposed as oral compositions comprising a component that can remove accumulations such as stain, dental plaque, food debris and tobacco tar adhered to or deposited on dental surfaces or between teeth not merely mechanically but rather through a physico-chemical action: (1) an oral composition comprising an aliphatic ester having 7 to 11 carbon atoms in total (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 1-104004); (2) an oral composition comprising an alcohol that has a phenyl group or a phenoxy group (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-229824); (3) an oral composition comprising an isopropyl carboxylate and a water-soluble polyphosphate (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-239135); and so on.
However, in the case of the oral composition disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 1-104004, an aliphatic ester having 7 to 11 carbon atoms in total is used as a component having an effect of removing tobacco tar and the like, but there is a problem that the cleaning ability is low and accumulations cannot be removed sufficiently.
Moreover, in the case of the oral composition disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-229824, an alcohol that has a phenyl group or a phenoxy group is used as a component having an effect of removing tobacco tar and the like, but because of the presence of a phenyl group or a phenoxy group, such alcohols irritate the oral mucosa, and thus are not necessarily desirable as a component of an oral composition.
Moreover, in the case of the oral composition disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-239135, an isopropyl carboxylate and a water-soluble polyphosphate are used as components having an effect of removing tobacco tar and the like, but there is a problem that the cleaning ability is low and accumulations cannot be removed sufficiently.